First look: 1Password 4 for iOS

No doubt secreted away in multiple, remote, undisclosed -- likely underground, Batcave-esque -- locations, AgileBits has been working on an all-new version of their highly-rated security app, 1Password. Re-coded and re-designed, 1Password 4 brings a simplified design language and experience to iOS, yet also manages to ramp up the power and convenience. Unfortunately, I can't show you everything -- they're protecting it with hockey sticks and cattle brands and I can't take that kind of pain -- but I can show you some of the new vault view on the iPhone version.

Master password

If you've used previous versions of 1Password for iOS, you're no doubt familiar with the double-barrel protection scheme that's pin code lock + master password. Well, it seems they had a tussle for dominance and pin-code lock lost out, because it's gone. Now, like the desktop version, you have but one master password to rule them all. (You can, however, set a quick unlock pin-code for use when switching back-and-forth between 1Password and other apps.)

Favorites

Once you've unlocked 1Password 4, you're in the vault view by default. There are several tabs in the vault view, in standard iOS fashion, the first of which is Favorites. You can mark any login, secure note, credit card, generated password, software license, or bank account as a favorite and then get to that subset of really important items quickly and conveniently via the Favorites tab. (Just like Favorites in the Phone app.)

Categories

The next tab over is Categories, and that's where the vast majority of your secured information lives. Sub-categories include logins, secure notes, credit cards, generated passwords, software licenses, and bank accounts. Everything is sorted alphanumerically, as you'd expect, and you can easily add an item to any category. Depending on the type of item, you can have as little information stored as username, password, and login URL, or as much as complete bank or credit card account, branch information, limits and rates. There's also an all items view... with search!

Folders

If Favorites is a single list of your most frequently and urgently needed information, and Categories is the fire hose of everything, Folders sits somewhere in between as a way to group items that's likely be used together based on specific projects or contexts. For example, a work folder could keep all the items you need for routine portal and services access, and a New Thing sub-folder could keep all the items you want handy for that super-secret app you're developing, etc. A Financial folder could hold all your money-related logins and accounts. On the personal side, if you're taking care of a loved one who can't manage their own accounts any more, you can likewise collect them all in one place so you can more easily help them out without having to search through long lists every time.

Settings

Settings is, as always, where a lot of the awesome geeky stuff is hanging out. You've got sections for security, sync, and data, a news feed, and quick access to Help. Some of the goodies here include the aforementioned quick unlock code, a way to automatically clear the clipboard so your copied passwords don't stay in memory, and iCloud as a sync option. Dropbox is, of course, still there for cross-platform users and -- wait for it -- you can use iCloud and Dropbox at the same time.

1Password 4

Security is perpetually at war with convenience, and password managers are the front line troops that help us stay safe and still live our lives. 1Password 4 has been redone from pixel to bit with just that focus in mind. There's no word yet on when 1Password 4 will be released, but AgileBits certainly appears to have all engines well past the redline. Hopefully we'll get to see more soon...

In the meantime, if you want the current version of 1Password, you can grab it here:

1Password 4 for iOS is a brand new app. It will require a purchase. There will be a special price available at launch time. The existing 1Password iOS apps will no longer be sold. They will continue to be supported, will sync with 1Password 4 and be available for download in the "Purchased" section of iTunes.

I'm really happy to hear this. Apple should implement upgrade pricing in the App Store, but in the meantime, this is the only solution developers are afforded. Offering a discount at launch is a classy way to mitigate upgrade cost for existing users, similar to upgrade pricing. Bottom line, I like it when developers can afford to feed their families, and make successful, long-lasting businesses that can create more great apps and updates in the future. Most of us don't work for free; neither should developers.

my neighbor's ex-wife makes $73/hr on the internet. She has been unemployed for 7 months but last month her income was $13266 just working on the internet for a few hours. Go to this web site and read more #+# bing30,com #+#

I would be careful with this, though, because if an attacker was able to access your Dropbox and replace your 1Password.html with a malicious version, they could intercept your master password. For me, having the app installed on all my computers and my phone and everything syncing with Dropbox is good enough.

This is exactly how I feel. But they kicked around with it so much. Mi probably have $140 into their app and at the end of the day I use lastpass now. It would take a moving of heaven and earth to make me buy windows, mac, and a new ios client.

Lastpass, at least on windows, can handle basic http auth. Something seriously lacking in 1p which iirc was present a few years back, though I could be confused on that. But lastpass needs to hire a ui designer. Badly.

There is one more huge plus about lastpass if you share accounts with clients or spouses. The blind share. They have access but the password is not revealed (though the tech savvy could unmask it. Sharing in general, te ability to work with safari on ios. And basically feature richness left 1p in the dust.

Lets also consider multi platform use. 1p viewer in android is a joke. As a Linux Mac windows ios android guy the choice was made even simpler. As is the pricing structure and feature set. The only place 1p ever won was ui, and for a while they blew that too.

It sucks to write this. The agile guys are awesome. Maybe when the product is fully revealed I can change my mind.

There will be early pricing to allow users to purchase it on sale. If you take advantage of that you should do pretty well on the pricing end of things I think.

HTTP Auth is something we'd love to offer. However, none of the current browser SDKs allow us to implement anything in them. I couldn't tell you how LastPass does it, perhaps a binary extension? We've submitted requests to all of the major browsers to implement this in their SDKs so we can give our users these features, but so far, nothing.

Concerning the 1Password Reader app for Android, we are working on a full featured Android client. No information about release dates are available at this time. But it is something on our radar.

Hopefully when the final versions of 1Password 4 come out you'll like what you see. If not, constructive criticism goes a long way to helping us figure out what our users (and former users) want. I'd encourage you to get in touch with us on our official support page so that we can make sure we hear your feedback and can make sure it gets passed to the appropriate people.

I merely got paid $6784 operational off my notebook computer this month. And if you think that that that's cool, my single friend has twin toddlers and reworked $9k her first month. It feels so good making most money once others have to be compelled to be compelled to figure for so a lot of less. this will be what I do, bing30,ḉ☺ℳ

Why do you never review LastPass or other alternatives, or address why you don't review it or other programs? It seems like it's always 1Password this, 1Password that. It makes me wonder whether there's a paid endorsement/review deal that you're not disclosing.

*Edit: As I've said in related previous posts, I'd like to know if there's an editorial reason that you consistently omit it. If you have concerns about the product or security of it, please let us know! As is, your reviews of password management apps read a bit like reviews of all the major operating systems that only mention Linux and Mac OS.

Have you seen how ugly LastPass the app is. Is it better at the end of the day for your desktop Yes 100% better Iove lastpass but the app is nothing to write about. Now 1password is 100% eye candy with the protection you need. I like 1Password UI for mac and iOS but I hate the integration since the sandboxing came around. Do I still use it yea I still use both. I just dont like the changes but end of day its a very good looking app.

We certainly had to change a lot when sandboxing 1Password but we were able to keep the vast majority of features and even add a few new ones. If something isn't working, please let us know. And if it's a design thing, we'd love to hear your feedback on that as well as we're always looking for ways to improve. You can email us at support at agilebits dot com, or me directly at dave with the same domain.

Because 1Password is the most professional solution. It works across a ton of browser, has excellent iOS apps...and just rocks. There is a difference between a solution that does the same, and one that does something well.

I'm OK with them charging again for a new version....they always do a fantastic job. That said, even more kudos to them for their commitment to keep older versions running. From what I see in the review I don't really have need of the new features, so I'll stick with my current version and OS X and PC desktop versions too ;-)

As mentioned in the edit that Rene made to the article. It is a paid upgrade (brand new app).

Support for the current app isn't going away though. We'll continue to support it, however, current development focus will be on 1Password 4. But we'd be happy to help you if you ever run into trouble with the current version.

As I mentioned in another comment below, we still support 1Password 2 for Mac users and 1Password 3 was released nearly 3 years ago. We aren't abandoning the current app for existing users.

Brilliant software. I would just like to see them get rid of the key lock and replace it with an old style safe combination lock and add the sound effects of the combination wheel spinning as you put your password in.

I understand what you're saying about developers being able to feed themselves and their families but the hamburger argument is not really a fair comparison.

I think, as a consumer, one wants to know that if they invest $14.99 in an app they'll get a great deal of use before it becomes obsolete or nonfunctional. As apps go $14.99 is not inexpensive.

I have both 1 password 3 for iOS as well as the desktop version (which I love). I was greatly put at ease after reading your update and learning AgileBits is going to continue to support the previous iteration.

Every previous update as been free, as far as I can remember. And they'll be doing a discount at launch. I can't think what else they could possibly do to take care of users and responsibly see to the future viability of their company.

I use 1Password countless times a day, every day. $15 for the last 3 versions is embarrassingly cheap.

Because when we stop complaining that apps are too expensive, it'll be because no one is finding it worthwhile making quality apps any more.

We definitely plans to support 1Password 3. While there probably won't be a ton of updates or new features available for it, we will do what we can to both fix bugs we find and also improve compatibility with 1Password 4. We'll also be happy to help users with questions and provide technical support for it.

The current app has been out for a number of years and we have no plans to abandon it. Anyone who has contacted our support knows we really do everything we can to get our users happy and up and running. In fact we still provide technical support for 1Password 2 users (1Password 3 was released nearly 3 years ago).

Ideally we'd have the flexibility to give anyone who purchased 1Password 3 within X weeks of version 4's release date a free upgrade. Unfortunately we don't have that ability as we need to play by the App Store rules, and at the moment there's no upgrade functionality in the store. We're providing a special introductory price to attempt to achieve discounted upgrade pricing, but I agree it's not ideal.

With that said, it's up to us to demonstrate to you that 1Password 4 is worth the upgrade cost. Rene shared several of the new features in this post and we're very excited about them, but there are several other new features as well. As we get closer to release we'll be sharing more details and we hope you'll find 1Password 4 well worth the price. If not, please email me personally at dave at agilebits dot com and I'll see what we can do.

Certainly those of us who have used the existing app for less than a month will not be thrilled to buy again regardless of new features. It is pretty rare to buy a piece of software only to be told it is obsolete less than 30 days later. That said, I saw the #Movember comment earlier, and if you make a donation of any size I guarantee I'll buy the new version, deal? http://mobro.co/erickmoore

As I said, don't feel compelled to purchase. Buy it only if you feel it is worth it to you. The donation is simply to a good cause and I felt that it was a good thing to do. Since I couldn't grow my own beard for Movember this will hopefully help :)

I bought an old Gillette vintage 60s Fatboy 195 razor in early November and have felt compelled to use it since I got it. Otherwise I'd have my own beard going!

Please have a fantastic weekend and keep up the great work in trying to raise awareness during Movember.

I ctually agree with your point & am all for the new app having a new fee, BUT......do you really wonder why people have been calling you out on being a pretentious douche lately?? It's comments/responses exactly like that. The person you replied to said nothing offensive or crazy towards the devs, just expressed his situation. You run an iOS blog, get over yourself clown.

Expecting developers to continue to work for free is a bit offensive, IMHO. Maybe his sarcastic answer was a bit much, but let’s be honest here. agilebits are not being greedy by asking for more money for more features, and they're still supporting the old version.

Anyone who claims their current version, even if they just purchased it, will become obsolete, is full of it, as their current version will still be supported. No, I don't work for agilebits or iMore. I just think developers deserve to be paid for providing more features.

Maybe a better way to put this is you normally pay 99 cents for a hamburger. Whenever a change is made to one of the ingredients McDonalds increases the price by lets say 30% (That is a 70% discount on the first hamburger). You now have the option to purchase an upgraded hamburger for $1.29 and in 4 years that same hamburger would be priced at $2.83. My guess is that most consumers would have lost interest in McDonalds and have moved on to a competitor. I have been a programer for 25 years. I am very familiar with revision revenue. Often taking ideas from the users who pay for the product in the first place, there is nothing wrong with that but it isn't nearly as simple as your example. I personally cant understand the notion that programmers should be entitled to continued revenue from bug fixes and cleaning/rearranging the artwork(screens/menus and such). If so, why should an author/publisher not charge more for spelling and grammar corrections after the initial publishing or charge more for a pretty/more modern book cover? Innovators and market leaders take their experiences and create new products with vision and passion, not simply rebrand over and over and call their work programming. I hope this next generation of programmers spend more time innovating less time complaining. Lastly you take all consideration to those who recently purchased a product to have a newer version come out days or weeks after their purchase. It may be true that the user bought the product without any knowledge of an updated version being offered in the near future, but it will leave a negative feeling towards the brand. Who would want that, knowing how hard it is to build a brand loyalty in the media saturated market we work in today?

Ok. What could Agile Bits have done differently? Announce of their web site, "We have a new version coming out soon, don't but our current version"? That still wouldn't help someone unless they read the Agile Bit blog often.

Ask Apple to remove the current version from the web site until the new one is approved in the app store? That would screw users who already had purchased 1Password 3 a year ago but just bought a new device. No way to get the old version onto that device.

Decide that they would offer the new version for free to any existing customer regardless of how long ago they purchased the product? Hmm ... not financially sustainable.

So ... what's you solution? You have 25 year of experience on which to reflect on and provide a cogent answer.

Well khurtwilliams, as far as Agile Bits removing the current version from the App Store. I don't understand how this would screw users unless they didn't backup their older device to their computer (Something that should be done at least once very few weeks or so just in case an app is no longer supported by Apple). This has been done by a lot of developers who pull their app from the App Store just to make repairs to an app that's not working. These developers do this to control the negative feedback. Only to return it once its operating properly. But still to your point, if you keep a backup to your computer, these apps are available for other iOS devices.

Now, if the older version of 1Password is removed from the App Store for this new and improved 1P4 version, how can the older version be supported? All updates are done through the App Store.

Most newer users of iPhones and iPads have probably never connected them to a computer and may not even use iTunes or have a computer. The iOS 5 and 6 with iCloud make this un-necessary. For some people, an iPad is the only computing device they own.

This may be true of some users, but I believe most users of iOS devices have some type of mac or pc at hand. If not, iCloud will still backup the old app and have it available for other devices. Either way my comment was made to ONLY address that another option is available for getting an outdated or removed app onto different iOS devices.
So the REAL question is, how can a removed App be supported if it isn't in the App Store?

It amazes me how people will plunk down hundreds of dollars for a piece of hardware -- Bluray player, HDTV, laptop, media player, e-reader etc -- but complain insanely about paying for the thing -- movies, music, software, books, etc -- that make the hardware do something useful.

I think it shows a lack of respect for the hard work involved in creating art. Most of the people who complain about paying a few bucks for something they admit is extremely useful have never produced anything.

We don't support multiple data bases and it's really very difficult to do.

If you want to each have the app with separate databases, you can do this with a few caveats.

A lot of people aren't aware of how the AppleID thing works. But, a word of advice. If you ever want to share purchases with your family you can do this by using the same AppleID for the App Store. This AppleID can be different than the one used for iCloud. I have two AppleIDs. One for iCloud, one for App Store/iTunes/etc.

Now, once you do this, you can each install the app without issue. You can then setup Dropbox syncing (each user with their own Dropbox account) or use your separate iCloud (1Password 4 only) account to store and sync your data.

We get a few requests for multiple data files per single install of the app, but that adds complexity and I think given the information we have from years of supporting the application, most users are fine with just a single data base.

Feel free to let us know what other features you'd like to see, we love hearing what our users want.

We think the new version is well worth upgrading for, and plans for future updates are even more amazing.

I know about the multiple device thing, I do it that way already with our personal devices. I mean the iPad. If you can't figure it out then I'll look elsewhere. You've dropped quite a few features I cared about over the years maybe it's about time.

Which features did we remove that you miss? I can certainly pass the requests to bring them back along (no promises they'll be back), and we may have other ways of doing them now too. We often remove features for security reasons and not to make users mad.

We do listen to our users, so I'd encourage you to let any developers (not just us) know when you're missing something or feel they (we) can do something better.

It started with the integration with safari that went away. I asked and someone told me that iOS could now multitask so it wasn't necessary. Multitasking is not half as efficient. At least we had the bookmarklet which was great. Bye bye bookmarklet. Then you decided to go MAS-only. THAT was not a shining example of listening to your users, let me say. I will definitely still use and enjoy v3 but even that's getting rather beachbally for me. I positively love 1PW anywhere but knowing my track record, that's next on the chopping block.

Before multitasking, the bookmark was one of my favourite features as well. It had several issues (such as needing to unlock it every time you used it) but it was the best we could do at the time, and pretty cool if I do say so myself. When multitasking came along it helped a lot and I personally find it easier than the bookmark. I agree it is not perfect either and we'll keep iterating on this as time goes on. With any luck iOS 7 will add some more goodies that will enable us to do even more.

Re: MAS-only, I would love to go MAS-only as it would save us a lot of time. Time that could be spent coding cool new features. When we announced our intent we received a lot of push back; so much so that we still sell 1Password in our online store today. Over the last several months I've noticed sentiment towards the MAS has been improving and I hope it continues to as I'd love to make the leap some day.

As for 1PasswordAnywhere, I don't expect that to go away anytime soon: it's one of my favourite features :)

Try using an iPhone with a flakey home button (80% of them) and tell me multitasking is faster then. There was a feature before the bookmarklet that worked even better.

MAS-only is selfish and ignorant. Unless you stop selling your Windows version entirely, it really looks like you're putting your interests above the customers. Just above you complained about how it was "too bad" you had to take out features because of sandboxing. Too bad eh.

I understand the flakey home button situation. I had one myself. I think some additional changes that aren't shown in this preview article will make things a little easier for you though.

MAS-only actually really clarifies things for users. Right now we get a lot of questions "Do we buy from the MAS or do we buy from your website?" and then we have to explain the differences and it just gets complicated for the user. I'm not sure it's us putting our interests above the user because if we went MAS only it would be to make things easier for the user. One place to buy instead of two, less questions about what to buy and how to buy.

We often get users that purchased from our website and want to transition to the MAS version (bummer Apple doesn't let us do that). If we neglected the MAS and only made it available via our website we'd be missing out on users that want to buy only from the MAS.

As Dave said, no decisions have been made on the subject (there's Agile in AgileBits for a reason). But we wouldn't be doing it for us, we'd be doing it for our customers. I'm sure Dave will take our opinion on MAS-only and mull it over and I'll be sure to mention your concerns to the team as well.

We don't want to remove features. One thing Dave left out was that we removed the bookmarklet because of security concerns.

"The data in the 1Password Bookmarklet is very well encrypted, but the password for it is not secured using PBKDF2. This means that if the Bookmarklet were to be captured it would need a very strong password on it to resist attack. Because the Login Bookmarklet lives in the browser’s bookmarks, there are more opportunities for it to be captured. Given these two issues, it is time to phase the bookmarklet out. "

We certainly apologize for its removal, but it was something we felt had to be done.

Will the new 1Password be a universal App? I bought, and still use daily, the original app for iPhone, and then instead of updating it to a iPhone/iPad app, they put out a completely new one. Just hoping this doesn't happen again.

Sorry about that. As Mr. Rene (and others) have pointed out. Apple doesn't allow us to do the upgrade thing very well. A new app is sort of the only option and we do have families to feed. Plus, someone has to feed that Twitter bot we have, I hear it's even growing a beard for Movember.

As for the universal app question. Yes, it is universal. There's a bit of confusion about the current iPad only, iPhone only, Pro (universal) app. While we had valid reasons for doing this in the past, this new app lets us start over and do it in a way all our customers can easily understand.

We definitely appreciate you using 1Password daily and we hope this new version makes using it even easier. Please let us know if you have any questions (ideally over at our own support page since we're better equipped to handle questions there).

Thank you so much for the kind words. I'll be sure to pass those along to our wonderful designer. He'll be really pleased to hear people are enjoying the new design.

As for a release date. Nothing to announce at this time. We've found giving dates tends to mean we frustrate users when we give one and then miss it. We'd rather under promise and over deliver :)

You can bet we'll announce it on our blog (blog.agilebits.com). We also post great articles about how our users use 1Password and a lot of security related information as well. There's also a newsletter, though I hesitate to fill this with too many links as it may get hit by the spam processing, but if you google it you'll find the page to sign up (or contact our support and we'll set you up). Typical support at company domain name.

When the desktop version was announced to be MAS only, I'm one of those people who went ahead and bought it there even though I already bought the latest version, based on the promise that 1PW 4 on the Mac will be a free upgrade for MAS owners to make up for having to buy the app twice. Please tell me this is still the plan. I'll be supremely upset if it's not.

Apart from the app, which I use daily, AgileBits' blog is a treasure trove of information on password protection and security in general. I'm looking forward to the update. I presume iCloud integration means a new Mac version is on the way...?

Thanks for the kind words, SRB! I know I always love new posts on our blog (especially the ones from Jeff, our Chief Defender Against the Dark Arts). 1Password 4 for Mac will also be available eventually, but we don't normally pre-announce release dates. Keep an eye on our blog — I know you will — for news and updates as they are available. :)
---
Khad Young, AgileBits, http://agilebits.com/support

I love 1P as well. My only issue is with bank logins on the iPhone. Both of the bank sites I need to access require me to enter my card number and password, but each field is cleared when I go back to the 1P app to get the other (even with multitasking).

I'm really sorry for the trouble you're having with 1Password and your banks. If you could contact us with the URL for the bank (don't send us any login information) we'll see how far we can get with test data and see if we can get a method working for you.

In many cases banks make things difficult because they try to make it difficult to log into their sites for security reasons. But we can often find a way to get it to work. No promises, but we'll certainly give it a shot!

You guys don't mess around with customer service replies! Very appreciated!
The funny thing in my case is that the issue I had seems to have been fixed with the banks own app update. Now it now it no longer clears the fields with multitasking. That was a well timed update!

Thanks for your quick reply. I'll be on board to update as soon at 4 is ready.

O.K., overall, all the complaining about apps and prices and upgrading etc. is way over the top, IMHO. (And, no, I'm not a developer, I don't know how to code etc., and I don't know any developers.) But complaining about AgileBits charging for the new version of this app is ridiculous. This is an app that we use daily (as Rene pointed out) and helps us sleep at night--get a grip and stop the whining! Sheesh! How much do you spend each time you visit Tarbucks or Whole Paycheck?! You pay $20 to $40 every time you get your oil changed at one of those quickie lube places, yes?! How much do you drop to go to the movie theater and watch the latest geek flick?! (Hey, count me in: can't wait for The Hobbit!!) Most of us digital dependents in our lives of luxury (compared to most people in the world) need to realize that the price of such useful apps is--as they say in 12-Step programs--"a high-class problem." Get over it! (Maybe it's because I'm over 50 and didn't grow up with computers that I think that it constitutes a miracle that we have all these amazing digital devices to use to make our lives easier and so much fun?!)

Anyway, that said, I really should use 1Password more than I do. I need to get rid of that encrypted Pages file I use with tons of passwords, stop using Safari so much to autofill, and rely on 1Password to generate and remember all my passwords, not just the ones for my bank and autofilling credit card info etc. I think I might have to visit the 1Password site for the first time and really learn the app. Slowly but surely, I will have to start changing passwords with 1Password and then have "One App to Bind them, One App to Rule Them All" (or something like that...)!!

Thanks, Rene, and Thanks to all the AgileBits guys--may your families not only eat well but buy some well-deserved new Apple gear for the Holidays! Have a Happy Turkey Day!

emjayess ... par for the course with these passive aggressive types. Somehow there are people that feel like everyone's job is to appease them.

In the end it's really simple. If you don't like the product..give your feedback and then move on. Agile then has the ability to either move towards fixing common complaints or they can bid adieu the person with the complaint. Part of running a company with goods and services comes with the realization that you are not going to be the solution for every customer.

I've been thinking of buying 1P lately because it seems I have lost the ability to keep track of all my various usernames/passwords in my brain. The 1 thing holding me back is the nagging thought that I am storing the access codes all of my life's vital secure information - banking, email, etc - in one single place. If 1P is ever compromised, the looters will have an embarassment of riches...

This is a great question and as you can imagine, we get this one quite a bit :)

First let me highlight the need for having strong and unique passwords for your each of your life's vital websites. You need a strong password to protect each site, but a single strong password is not sufficient; as Jeff (our Chief Defender Against The Dark Arts) says, Friends don't let friends reuse passwords:

Strong and unique passwords for 1 or 2 sites is tolerable, but today we have tens if not hundreds of websites. Even if you have the memory of a chess master and can remember all of them, it's not convenient typing all these passwords. 1Password allows you to have your security while maintaining your sanity.

As for protecting your information once it's inside 1Password, you're absolutely right that this is very important and we do several things to keep your information secure. Certainly we encrypt your information using your (very strong) Master Password, but there's more to it than just encryption. Jeff recently had a nice summary post on many of the things we've done to secure your data:

Background:
I've used 1Password since 2007. I've enjoyed every revision, the excellent feedback and support by the developers. I've purchased 1Password for friends and family and recommended it to clients.

Opinion:
This revision from the description and images seems to be a significant, but not substantial
update. A reorganization. I think the idea of "favorites" is a good one. But so far, aside from some good graphical improvements there don't seem to be many "new" features" - like an improved password generator (with access from the actual account creation screen.

Its issues like the password generator methodology on the IOS devices that reveal these programs as better password retrieval programs. Not, in any way, stand alone programs. This was obviously the case when the first released 1Password on the IOS -- it was free. This was because the program was steered towards folks that used 1Password on their Mac (and now PC) and wanted access to their passwords. But its a shame that its never matured further. Especially when you consider the iPad and its success.

Conclusion:
I see some people have mentioned that they are upset that it will be a costed upgrade. They guys have and always complain. I agree with Rene that I want to support development.

But I am very upset and disappointed about the decision to eliminate the 4 digit pin app open feature. I know that its cute to image the "one master password to rule them all" saying applies here. But Agile had really struck a balance by allowing users to open their app quickly and then re-enter their master password for items that deserved that type of security. That has now been taken away.

The "one master password to rule them all" on an IOS device does one thing: IT ENCOURAGES USERS TO ASSIGN A MORE SIMPLE PASSWORD OUT OF CONVENIENCE.

This defeats the security behind the program and is a real bummer.

This combined with the issue that the program still acts like a "very little brother" to the desktop program makes the upgrade disappointing.

Am I "pissed" that a the update will cost $14.99. No.
But I am furious that the "tussle" over entry into the IOS program has resulted in this compromise in usability and security.

I hope you do continue to support previous version, because I don't need to upgrade to that inconvenience.

I guess I'll have to wait for the Retina or finger print scan version.

Thanks for the feedback, Ponder, and thank you for your support over the years.

While the PIN code has been completely reworked the new Quick Unlock Code will provide most of the benefits while removing the majority of the confusion the PIN caused, especially w/r/t multiple security levels. I used the PIN in 1Password 3 a lot myself and I'm quite happy with the new approach. I hope you will be as well but by all means let us know if your use case is different and we'll see what we can do to help.

You brought up up several other good points as well and I think you'll be a lot happier once we reveal the rest of the features. We had to save some surprises for the official launch day :)

"But I am very upset and disappointed about the decision to eliminate the 4 digit pin app open feature. I know that its cute to image the "one master password to rule them all" saying applies here. But Agile had really struck a balance by allowing users to open their app quickly and then re-enter their master password for items that deserved that type of security. That has now been taken away.

The "one master password to rule them all" on an IOS device does one thing: IT ENCOURAGES USERS TO ASSIGN A MORE SIMPLE PASSWORD OUT OF CONVENIENCE.

The Quick Unlock Code feature is essentially the same in practice, but you'll have to let us know what you think after you've actually had a chance to use it. Nothing is written in stone, and we always appreciate constructive feedback.

I thought the same thing when I read the blog post (about paying for a UI redesign) and not for new functionality. As Dave says below, there's more to the update than what is shown in the blog post, and if you think about it, paying again for it would be like "subscribing" for the next few years (or months, but at least I hope years) of updates to the app, which would be free because of the way the app store works.

I wish you people in Agile Bites the best and hope your consumers understand why it's a paid upgrade and you don't get many bad publicity around the web after launch.

The unique password on the iPhone and iPad caused a lot of confusion for new users. So the thinking is that it should be the same as the Desktop version in 1Password 4. No promises that this will remain current, but as of right now, that is the case.

I'm not sure who mentioned this before, but my wife and I share our 1Password database on two different iPhone's with a common Dropbox account. This way we can generate our own individual master password keys on the IOS device along with our own four digit key code. We found this to be a very useful way for us to remember our own personal password and pin, while still gaining access to the same database. So I really don't understand why it needs to be changed. Now I really want to update to 1P4 when it becomes available, but I find it very unnecessary in doing so if it will cause confusion for my wife in doing so.

Well I'm not a developer, nor do I play one on TV (smile). But it seems while listening/ addressing concerns of customers, maybe some middle ground can be met by adding some type of software switch in settings. To cover both the Easy or Advanced user. This will allow you to be able to address both customer concerns. IMHO

We tend to be on the cautionary side of things. We don't rush out and add a setting or a switch just because someone asks. Instead we try to wait and gauge the full gravity of the issue before we make a move. Right now with a completely brand new app we have a lot of things to finish up and adding features is something we're trying to avoid until we're sure they're needed.

The app includes a number of new features that users have requested for years. So it isn't a complete rewrite just for the sake of rewriting it. But because it is a rewrite there's a lot to do. Once we see the demand for this feature we'll look into it if the demand is really there.

We'd like to have users try the current version first and see if the middle ground we've already added is enough. If not, let us know and we'll take a closer look. We listen to our user feedback and we (as support personnel) pass it along to the developers. Dave (one of the founders) is reading this thread too, you'll see him pop in and out during this busy time and see what you all are saying.

But switches and settings can very easily get out of control and overwhelm. We'd like to avoid that if possible :)

Thanks for your feedback! Please let us know if you have any other concerns for 1Password 4.

Thanks for the honest and fast replies. I plan on making the purchase either way to support the development. I'm also very excited to know the older version will continue to be supported for the time being. So I'm looking forward to trying it out, while my wife continues working with v3 until I give the thumbs up for her.
Thanks again for making and supporting a great product!

I like the unique password. My master password on my desktop is hard to type on a mobile device because it requires swapping between the number pad, the symbols, and the letter multiple times. I have a unique password on my iPad that is secure, but requires fewer keyboard swaps.

Nice intro review Rene. Folders on the iPhone version is one of the features I've been waiting for. The new app looks very good and much improved. Can't wait to get my hands on it. Can we get a general idea of when it might be released.

We do hope you love 1Password! I'm optimistic that it will end up being "fortunately." If you have any questions or feedback, we're here for you any time. :) Just shoot us an email: support@ agilebits .com
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Khad Young, AgileBits

It'll be on sale for a bit upon launch. I rely on 1PW now. Not only does it store password but just general account information and even software serial numbers. It really is a swiss army knife of software.

I used the desktop app to store a scan of my passport in a secure way. If you have ever had one stolen, having a picture of the missing document is a huge time-saver. However, I was disappointed that the image was not available in the iOS environment.

We're not really at liberty to discuss the existence of all of the new features in 1Password 4. So, I can neither confirm, nor deny, that this has or hasn't been addressed. It has been a commonly requested feature!

That said, stay tuned to our blog and newsletter for more details as they become available!

I got an early version of 1Password from a MacHeist promotion and liked it so much I paid to upgrade to the 1Password 3 version. I think that was also the same time they were giving you an extra serial key or two for a Thanksgiving promotion, and I was able to gift my wife and mom with their own versions. Then, about the time I got an iPad, there was a brief promotion to get the mobile app for free and I was lucky enough to pay nothing for that as well. Now I see I may be able to upgrade to the new version, 1Password 4, for only $7.99. Considering the great deals I've been able to obtain up 'til now, this seems like a bargain, and I will gladly get the new iOS version.!

(I just hope they can make the mobile version a little more like the desktop version, since I can't seem to auto fill my credit card info using the app's built-in browser currently, and have to leave the app to find that info elsewhere.)

1Password works extremely easy on all browsers on Mac, Windows, and Mobile. I love the central management of all of my passwords and the peace of mind.

I'm not sure I understand why people want a free app when 1Password offers great support and regular updates. I believe software companies should, if their business models call for it, charge a fair price so that they can provide product upgrades and support. 1Password *IS* web based as far as I can see because it is well integrated with every browser I use. 1Password is a great value! I recommend it to all my friends.

Wow! Lot of discussion here. Can't say I've read it all, but . . .
I love 1Password on my computers. It saves tremendous amount of time, hassle, and brain cells. On the iPhone, not so much. The biggest problem I have with using it is that you have to enter the app FIRST, then tell it where to go using the built-in semi-browser (unless I misunderstand how it works). This just doesn't work for me. I'm invariably following a link from an email or web page, then, what? I have to copy the link, go into 1Password, and go there with it's browser? Not happening. The way I use it is just to go into it to look up the username and password, then go back to the iPhone browser. Just not as handy as it is on the computer.

I'm guessing that's the same on version 4, since it wasn't mentioned in the review. Maybe this is an iPhone limitation that can't be worked around, but there it is.

Regarding the direct Safari integration, you're right, it is currently an iPhone limitation that we hope Apple removes in a future update. In the meantime, we've added several things in the new 1Password to make things much easier. We'll be sharing more details soon :)

1password is almost perfect. Folders is a welcomed addition but it is the in app browser that really gives me trouble. The one reason that would make me upgrade would be a browser that simply works and takes my passwords.
Hoping your hints do carry a lot of weight.
-milo

I'll definitely pass this input along. Please stay tuned for further unveiling of new features on our blog and in the description page of 1Password 4 :)

Also, people haven't looked closely enough at the screenshots posted in this article. I'd encourage everyone to go back and look, then try to figure out what everything does. You may be surprised to find some hidden things!

As a long-time 1Password user, I can't say enough about the outstanding customer support that Agile Bits provides! That, and the product continues to evolve and improve, and I rely on it daily! I can't wait for the new version, and I will happily pay the upgrade price!

I have been a 1password user for quite a while. I got the Mac version first, then I got the free iphone version and finally bought the iPad version.
When the new version for Mac appeared I did not get it from the app store as I had Snow Leopard installed. I wanted to get it in the introductory low price but I couldn't as the store would not let me make the purchase and use it later. Now I have Mountain Lion but the price is a little high for me, considering my job is done pretty nice. I normally use the version 3 with Mountain Lion and sync using Dropbox to all of my devices. (actually at the moment the price is 31€ because of the thanksgiving discount but still high for me)
I am currently considering the new (reduced price) universal app but I am trying to see the benefits. The only benefit I see at the moment is the new icloud sync option, but having DropBox already gives almost no plus. Most of the other new features I see described in the article are a little bells and whistles to me. Favorites and folders are just easier ways to find something. I usually find what i need just entering the search field. If I get the new iOS app will it be compatible with the next versions of the Mac app (version 3)? Or later I will have to upgrade that also to the latest app Store version?

Thanks for the reply. I discovered that all the versions are 3. My Version is 3.8.20 (the non Mac App Store). Mac App store is 3.9.6
So my question is about the 3.8.XX version, but I suppose it will work.

Yes, the website version will work fine with 1Password 4 for iOS. The data that the website version and Mac App Store version read are the same

But support for 1Password 4 is the same for both versions. So you'll be just fine.

As for the features of the 1Password 4 for iOS app, we haven't unveiled them all. So while some of what you've seen may be relatively minor for you, we think some of the others will be really worthwhile :) Stay tuned!

I have a pretty long and complex Master Password, I was hoping they could keep or implement a longer numeric keylock option. Having to grab a password and dealing with the keyboard to enter the password is cumbersome.